The Optimist looks at the volatile and surprisingly hilarious clash of passion and genetics when three well-bred, intelligent twentysomethingsfraternal twin brothers Noel and Declan and Noel's ex-girlfriend Nicoleencamp at a cheap motel in Tallahassee, Florida on the eve of a friend's funeral, and the marriage of the young men's father to the woman with whom he had a longstanding affair while their mother was still alive. Sex, mortality, and unrequited love lurk throughout the play as the trio anticipates the funeral of their young friend, and the wedding of the father who the young men believe was responsible for their beloved mother's death.